We utilized CAKE Village's services for our company holiday party and they were absolutely AMAZING!…read more I wanted to do something fun this year for our Holiday Event instead of just dinner. We elected to use CAKE Village as our painting vendor because they offered us a very fair price and were super helpful. I was in constant contact with Lande to plan our event and she did a great job with everything. We had decided on painting the Chicago skyline. Our event had 50 people and literally everyone's painting looked beautiful. Lande came to our event with 2 other instructors and they all did wonderfully at guiding us with our own unique masterpieces. All of our guests had an absolutely amazing time, and would love to do something like this again. I will definitely make it a point to visit their actual location to enjoy their services as well. I highly recommend using the CAKE village for their painting instruction for large events, they can definitely handle the job! They will also work with you in order to get exactly what you want/need.

This is my favorite festival every year, and I'm always so excited to go again! It's held in Good…read moreTemplar Park, which is not typically open to the public, and people open up their cottages, many built in the 1930s, as little "shops", so you can both see the cottages and do some shopping. Since Geneva was founded by Swedes and many people who historically had/have cottages (stugas in Swedish) here are of Scandinavian descent, you will see many Dala horses, vikings, gnomes, as well as yarn craft, jewelry, woodworking, candles, vintage books, ornaments, and more. One cottage today had demonstrations by rosemaling painters, the traditional Norwegian painting style often seen on wooden plates, trunks, furniture and other items. I was fortunate to speak with Lynn, who told me about her process (her motto was "Exhale and feel your passion for painting"; she also said not to hold the brush like a pen, in that there is no pressure on it, just guide it. She triple loaded paint colors onto a small flat paint brush and said she makes designs shaped like Ss and Cc, and that there are "no mistakes," if a kid bumps the table or something it can always be fixed or changed.) Another artist whose art you will encounter everywhere at this event is Kathy McPartland; her whimsical gnomes, Dala horses and flowers are on the fliers and signage for the festival, and you can buy her cards, books and prints at this fair. Tina Druce-Hoffman was another artist present who makes beautiful intaglio prints, including a limited edition one for the event. They have added extra vendors in tents around the park, which was something new this year. Overall, I will always come back to this charming event.

So unique! Tiny little cottages in a wooded area along a…read morecreek. Some are private residences but about 20 of them are opened for sale of arts and crafts. $8 to enter in 2018. We had no ideas what Templar's were. Good lessons from the past.

Haven't been since last summer but excited to visit again. Very cute museum with lots of input from…read morethe community, cool art and lots to learn about the surrounding area.

A hidden gem! I was originally intending to stop here for a short nature walk before an event but…read moreended up doing a much longer visit once I realized the amount of different activities there are too do here. The Nature Center is a nice building with fun interactive displays as well as an assortment of different wildlife like fish and tortoises. It also provides indoor bathrooms and spaces for different activities. The nature trails are paved very well, providing a very easy walking path largely free of elevation changes and challenging terrain to walk on. Very easy in comparison to what you see at many forest preserves, and on par with nicer parks in terms of path maintenance and quality. Along the trail are also tons of fun stories about a seahorse and jellyfish named peanut butter and jellyfish. These are fun ways to incentivize walkers to walk the entire train and be entertained at the same time. There are also an assortment of birds such as barred owl, red-tailed hawks, and more to see in a variety of outdoor displays. I was very happy with how well spaced out these were and as a result, it was easy to casually watch these beautiful animals without feeling crowded at all. Overall a hidden gem and great free way to experience both nature and animals.

We absolutely love visiting the nature center--it's become one of our favorite spots to spend time…read moretogether. My daughters and I walk there often, and every visit feels a little different. There are always incredible birds to see: owls, hawks, falcons, even turkey vultures. which keeps things exciting and gives us something new to talk about each time. It's such a special place for kids to stay curious and engaged. My girls are always intrigued by what they might spot next, and I love how it naturally gets them interested in wildlife and the outdoors. No matter how many times we go, we never get bored. It's peaceful, educational, and just a really cool experience for the whole family.

I love this place so much. It's a 1890s living history museum, and there's so many interesting…read morethings to learn about here. In the winter, they do ice carving demonstrations that you can participate in. In the summer, they make hand-churned ice cream with the harvested ice from the winter and host an "ice cream social" for everyone to participate in. They also do maple sugaring demonstrations in the spring. Every hour, there are house tours where you can learn some history about life in the 1890s. The farm animals are adorable too. It's also free to get in. Perfect for adults and kids!

The website promotes the idea of having several things to do, which we didn't find to be the case…read more We arrived at 10am which is supposed to be tours of the farmhouse, didn't happen. One lady did say that, "someone probably looked outside and didn't immediately see anyone so they skipped it." We did walk around and see pigs, pet the sheep, saw cows. The horses were off under the sheds. A 30 min walk. Tha

Wow this a gorgeous place to bring your Family relax look at…read morethe beautiful buildings the museum and the little house now that the weather is nice come take a walk around the house you will Love it and so will the entire family will Love it

Definitely recommend touring the Ellwood House. Very beautiful and interesting history. We had an…read moreolder gentleman for our tour guide who was very knowledgeable. Don't recommend touring Ellcourt House because it's not that different from a normal house.

There are/have been several mini Renaissance and fantasy festivals at Vasa Park over the recent…read moreyears, and Faeries of the Forest strikes a nice balance of "enough but not too much". It's not too expensive to get in; there are a variety of vendors selling everything from art to jewelry to tea to tarot readings; there was an array of musicians including the Harp Twins and the Secrets of the Beehive. It was also fun that lots of people were dressed in costumes/garb! Overall, a lot of whimsical fun; would return!

This was a fantastic art fair! Apparently St. Charles has hosted this event for almost three…read moredecades, but I don't think I've ever heard of it before--even when I lived here for a brief period, just a few blocks away. But luckily I learned about it now; it takes place every year on Memorial Day weekend. It's going on my calendar to visit annually. This festival is a juried show, so all the artists are of really high caliber. You'll find just about every genre represented here. I didn't actually come intending to spend any money, but the joke was on me and I happily parted with some cash. I bought a few pieces of garden art from two different booths. One artist named Debbie Radke makes outdoor art pieces made primarily of copper, sometimes with glass balls or beads or other ornamentation included, and I found of hers I like; the next door booth also had pieces for outdoors, and I got a few pieces of blown glass art that along with the copper piece will look lovely in my yard. A jeweler who was exhibiting had some really unique pieces that were double sided. Not all of them, but a good number. You know how when you wear a necklace it often gets flipped around? Well, Eye Candy by Amy (@eyecandybyamy--check her out) makes some pieces that can be worn either way. Really so cool, something I've never seen before. I bought a different piece from her but will be keeping an eye on her insta for what other creations she comes up with. If only I had an unlimited bank account I could have continued buying. There was an artist whose medium is watercolor felting; another who does something called pulp painting; painting on birch bark; a chair maker; an artist who makes hinged rings that will fit over arthritic knuckles. And of course those are just the more unusual of the art. There was no entrance fee to the show, which was nice. They had an activity area where kids could create, and there was also a demo going on nearby--when we were here, there was a woman on a loom, and I don't think I've ever actually seen anyone use a loom before. They also have a car that people can paint, and there was a little boy who was having a blast doing just that. They had some partnership with the Arcada Theatre called "Artcada", where if you spent $350 or more you could visit the Information booth and claim a voucher for tickets to a show at the Arcada. And something I thought was especially cool was that they had free reusable bottles of water (they are in aluminum bottles, so reusable) that has as the label a painting by a local student. Really cool and clever idea (and they had a water refill station, and even a water bowl set out for the pups wandering round). Parking is okay; though we had to go around a couple times we found a spot in the city parking complex about a block away and it was free. There's also street parking around.

It's a wonderful way to spend time outdoors and enjoy different types of art. Wide price range…read morewhich works out great! We come every year!